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Team USA bounced back from a winless effort in Dubai with a clean sheet and near perfect opening match in Cape Town, blanking New Zealand 22-0 to start pool play. The Eagles scored twice on each side of halftime, showcasing a suffocating defense and purposeful attack.
Folau Niua’s opening kick didn’t go 10 meters, giving New Zealand the first possession. Martin Iosefo won the ball back via a well... Read More

The 0-5 result for the Eagles in Dubai last week was the worst ever under Mike Friday. So in that sense, it was a historically bad tournament. But it’s certainly not unprecedented.
Before Friday, going winless through an entire tournament was practically an annual occurrence. Since the advent of full-time training contracts in 2011, the Eagles posted a winless tournament at least once a season... Read More

A new seeding system and format is in play for the upcoming Rugby World Cup Sevens set for San Francisco next July. It will see teams essentially jump straight into bracket play, shunning pool play altogether.
On the men’s side, there are 24 teams. 23 of them have been decided, with one team from Oceania and two from South America yet to be identified. For seeding purposes, the top 14 have been... Read More

A nightmare tournament was mercifully ended by Wales Saturday, as the Eagles lost a fifth-straight match, 31-21, to bow out of the Dubai 7s with their lowest point total of any tournament under head coach Mike Friday, who started his fourth season at the helm over the weekend.
Team USA Spotted Wales a three-try lead in the first half. The Dragons took the early advantage with a try. The second... Read More

The Eagles slipped to 0-4 in a tournament for the first time under Mike Friday, falling 10-5 to Canada in extra time Saturday in Dubai. The loss sends them to the 13th place semifinal at 4:38 a.m. ET.
Canada secured the first possession and managed to hold onto the ball for a full minute. The Eagles turned them over when Martin Iosefo tackled Justin Douglas into touch. Carlin Isles made a run up... Read More

Team USA was swept on day one in Dubai, falling 22-12 to New Zealand in the pool final. That loss was preceded by defeats at the hands of Samoa and Argentina in the tournament's pool of death. It marks the first time in Mike Friday's four seasons as head coach that the team as gone winless through pool play.
Sione Molia opened scoring in the third minute after catching an offload from Joey... Read More

It would be a second-place finish for the USA women in Dubai, as they fell 34-0 to Olympic champion Australia in Friday’s final. The Aussies managed six tries in the shutout win. It’s the USA’s best finish since falling to Canada in the final of its own tournament in Atlanta two seasons ago.
The Eagles ended up with a record of 3-3, having finished third in their pool with losses to France and... Read More

Team USA defeated Russia 21-12 Friday in Dubai, advancing to the cup final against Olympic champion Australia at 8:15 a.m. ET. It’s the team’s first final appearance in five tournaments, the last coming in Sydney last year, where the Eagles fell to Canada.
Naya Tapper committed an early turnover with an ill-advised forward pass as she tried to offload out of a tackle. But the ball was won back in... Read More

Team USA’s poor start continued in an altogether uncompetitive 26-12 loss to Samoa Friday in Dubai. The loss drops the Eagles to 0-2, guaranteeing them a trip to the bottom eight on day two. The final pool match is against New Zealand at 9:22 a.m. ET.
Martin Iosefo took the opening restart, and Carlin Isles sniped off the ensuing ruck. He looked to be away, but the last Samoan defender took a... Read More

Richie Walker’s Eagles completed a massive turnaround in the span of 12 hours, beating New Zealand 14-12 in the Dubai quarterfinals with a game-winning try at the death. In both teams’ previous game, the Black Ferns blasted the USA 45-14 in the final round of pool play.
The Americans scored first and last, sandwiching New Zealand’s two tries. In the end, the difference was two Alev Kelter... Read More